North East RadioWatch: April 30, 2001

Quebec Tower Comes Down

We're back from our whirlwind Western trip (details next week, we
promise), and what a week we missed back East...

The biggest news came from QUEBEC, where a Cessna piloted by
Gilbert Paquette, 38, of Ste.-Therèse struck the top of the
tower between Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan that was home to
most of the FM and TV stations serving the Mauricie region of central
Quebec.

Paquette's plane lodged a few dozen meters below the top of the
300-plus meter guyed tower, killing the pilot on impact Sunday
afternoon (April 22).

After studying the situation, local authorities decided it was unsafe
to climb the tower to retrieve Paquette's body. Declaring the tower
itself damaged, they brought it down at week's end by cutting the guy
wires. Paquette's widow protested the plan, saying officials should
have tried harder to recover the body before bringing it down with the
wreckage and the tower itself.

We're still unclear about what will become of the signals that
emanated from the tower, which carried Cogeco's Radio-Canada affiliate
(CKTM Channel 13) and TQS affiliate (CFKM Channel 16), TVA affiliate
CHEM-TV (Channel 8), FM broadcasters CHEY (94.7) and CIGB (102.3), and
several CBC and Radio-Canada relays to the area around
Trois-Rivières. A replacement tower is to be built, but we're
not sure whether the stations up there are off the air or operating
from low-power facilities (such as the second, shorter tower at the
site) in the meantime.

The other big news from CANADA, of course, is the impending demise
of music on Toronto's CHUM (1050). Mayor Mel Lastman declared this
week to be "1050 CHUM Week," and the countdown is underway for the big
"Final Hours" show, to take place Monday, May 7 from 10 AM until 3 PM.
Duff Rowan and Bob Laine will be hosting, and NERW will be there to
bring you all the details (which means our May 7 issue will actually
appear sometime May 8, most likely.)

CHUM Group is also making official its plans to launch the "Team"
sports format in Montreal next week, with "Team 990" replacing "Oldies
990" at CKGM on May 7. The station has signed a deal to carry Expos
baseball in English, returning the team to the Anglo airwaves there
for the first time since the 1999 season.

Down the road in Hawkesbury, Ontario, CIMF (94.9 Hull) has been
granted the rebroadcaster it wants. The 759-watt signal on 88.9 MHz
will keep CIMF's "Rock Détente" format reaching the area
between Hull and Montreal when Radio-Canada boosts power on its CBF-FM
(95.1 Montreal) signal next year.

And one more Toronto note: Yes, CFYI (640) relaunched last week as
"Mojo Radio," featuring Humble and Fred (formerly of "Edge" CFNY
102.1) in mornings and male-oriented talk all day.

We'll return to the States by way of NEW YORK, where American
Tower is getting ready to fight the neighbors in order to put up
another tall tower on Rochester's Pinnacle Hill. We'd been wondering
how DTV will be accomodated on the three existing sticks up there
(less than a mile, as the crow flies, from NERW World Headquarters),
and now we know: ATS plans to build a tower adjacent to the short
stick that's now home to Infinity's WZNE (94.1 Brighton) and Clear
Channel's W238AB (95.5 Rochester, aka "The Nerve"), with public TV
WXXI and Sinclair Fox affiliate WUHF being courted as DTV tenants.

WXXI and WUHF currently share a candelabra tower on the hill for their
analog operations, neatly wedged between WROC (Channel 8)'s tower
(shared with NBC affiliate WHEC-TV, Channel 10) and the tower of ABC
affiliate WOKR (Channel 13). WROC and WHEC plan to share an antenna
on their existing tower for DTV, and it appears WOKR will use its
existing tower as well.

The newspaper here has already published the requisite article full of
neighbors complaining about the "eyesore" (though the neighbors quoted
weren't even born, much less living near the towers, when Pinnacle
entered broadcast service back in 1949), and no doubt we'll hear more
about the evils of broadcast facilities when we drag ourselves away
from the keyboard and down the street to Brighton Town Hall for the
planning board meeting to consider the proposal in a few weeks.
Suppose we'll be lynched if we explain how we really like
broadcast towers? Or perhaps if we make the point that a strong DTV
signal from Pinnacle means no "unsightly" rooftop antennas all over
town to grab those hard-to-get 8VSB digital signals from other
sites...

A few more Western New York notes: Over at the Infinity cluster here
in Rochester, WCMF PD John McRae officially adds PD duties at AC WRMM
(101.3), filling the shoes of Dave Symonds, who's now across town as
OM at Entercom's group.

On the TV side, that new logo we showed you a few months back for WOKR
(Channel 13) became reality on April 26, when the ABC affiliate
retired its old set (after more than 15 years) to unveil a new on-air
look (and a nice one, at that!)

Down in Jamestown, Family Life Ministries' WCOT (90.9) has been
granted a power boost to 12 kW (at 199 meters above average terrain),
while moving SUNY Alfred's WETD from 90.9 to 90.7, with 360 watts at
94 meters. Family Life will also get a bigger signal into Rochester,
with the grant of a translator on 91.9 in Greece (just northwest of
the city), over a petition to deny, presumably from WXXI-FM on 91.5.
Let's make sure we have this straight: WXXI was itself denied a new
signal in Spencerport on 90.9 because of potential interference to its
own signal. LPFM is still being restricted to fourth-adjacent
channels. And yet a second-adjacent translator like this is OK?
Guess so...this thing already has calls (W220DE), and we expect to
hear it on real soon now.

John Bulmer checked in to share the full story of the call change at
Jamestown's WHUG (101.9). 'Tis indeed now WMHU, and the calls stand
for "102 MOO," just like sister Vox station WMOU-FM (102.1) down in
DuBois, Pennsylvania. With a swap of frequencies to the east (WZKZ
Alfred will go to 97.1, while the new Canaseraga allocation will get
that 101.9 instead of the original 97.1), WMHU will also get a power
boost soon. The WHUG calls land on a Bulmer CP in Cooperstown,
Pennsylvania on 107.7.

Hearty congratulations are in order to this year's class of Buffalo
Broadcast Pioneers hall of famers. Topping the list is Tom Shannon,
now heard in afternoons on oldies WHTT, but also a veteran of the old
WKBW and Detroit radio. The late Bill and Mildred Miller will be
inducted for their "Meet the Millers" talk show on the old WBEN-TV
(now WIVB). "Ramblin' Lou" Schriver, who brought country music to the
Buffalo airwaves, will be honored for his long tenure as owner of WXRL
(1300 Lancaster) and his live performance career. Dave Thomas, who
co-hosted "Rocketship 7" on WKBW-TV with Promo the Robot, will be
inducted for his Buffalo days, though he's better known now as Dave
Roberts at Philly's WPVI (and even better known, perhaps, as the
father of "Angel" TV star David Boreanaz!) Liz Dribben will be
inducted for her days at WKBW-TV (including hosting "Dialing for
Dollars"), while honorary awards go to Dan and Nancy Lesniak (for
bringing FM stereo to Buffalo on WADV, now WYRK 106.5), Adelphia
founder John Rigas and WKBW radio itself for celebrating 75 years on
the air. The induction ceremony takes place May 15 at the
Tralfamadore restaurant in downtown Buffalo.

Heading towards Central New York, Syracuse's WNSS (1260) is
temporarily simulcasting sister station WLTI (105.9), now that the
Comedy World network that was supplying its programming has ceased to
exist. We're not yet sure what to make of the change of ownership at
WVOA (105.1 DeRuyter)'s four translators; they change hands from Cram
and Renard to "Pathway Community Radio Corp." as the parent station
gets handed off to Clear Channel. Over in Utica, WOWB (105.5 Little
Falls) and WOWZ (97.9 Whitesboro) are still simlucasting new Clear
Channel sister WSKS (102.5 Rome), though it's obviously not a
permanent situation, what with WOWZ and WSKS on the same tower farm!
Clear Channel also flipped WLFH (1230 Little Falls) to a simulcast of
its "Sports Star" trimulcast (WUTQ 1550 Utica, WADR 1480 Remsen, WRNY
1350 Rome), replacing "Bug Country" on that signal.

Up North, the word is that the AC sounds of "The Valley" will make
their permanent home on the new 96.1 Norwood signal (now WYSI), while
the original "Valley" signal at 96.7 in Canton (now WVLF) will join
Tim Martz' "Yes FM" hot AC simulcast, along with WYSX 98.7 Ogdensburg
and WYUL 94.7 Chateaugay. Bet we see a WYSI/WVLF call swap soon...

Working our way back down towards Albany, Vox submitted a three-part
plan to the FCC that will move the "Wheels" oldies signal much closer
to the Capital District from its current Glens Falls home. Here's how
it works: Vox would move WHTR, now licensed to Corinth, from 93.5 to
93.7. It would then move that 93.7 allocation from Corinth down to
Scotia, not far from Schenectady. And to keep a "first local service"
in Corinth, sister station WFFG (107.1) would change city of license
from Hudson Falls to Corinth. We see the hand of John Bulmer in this
one, too...not to mention a clever way to squeeze another FM facility
into Albany.

One more WFFG note: Justin Clapp is the new PD there, moving over from
"Bob Country" (WMXR/WCFR-FM) in Vermont and a previous stint at WNCQ
up in Ogdensburg.

Heading downstate, Korean radio is about to get a foothold in western
Long Island. Fresh from unloading its WFOG (1570 Riverhead) for a
song, Barnstable is also selling 25-kilowatt WGSM (740 Huntington),
but $2.5 million is hardly a fire-sale price for the signal that
covers most of the island in daylight. The new owner is K Licensee
Inc, the folks who have been leasing New York's WZRC (1480) to program
an all-Korean format. WGSM had been simulcasting standards from
Barnstable's WHLI (1100 Huntington).

And in the city itself, Tom Joyner's syndicated morning show began
running Monday on WRKS (98.7), though the Emmis-owned urban AC keeps
former wakeup guy Isaac Hayes on hand to do local breaks in the Joyner
broadcast.

Not much new in CONNECTICUT, except some carrier-current news, as
Southern Connecticut State University moves its "WSIN" from 530 to
1590, the frequency that's been sitting vacant since the old WQQW
Waterbury went silent in the nineties.

RHODE ISLAND saw the official launch this week of ADD Media's "Web
Access Live Radio," billing itself as the first "24/7 live video/audio
Webcaster" and offering leased time over its stream and WARL (1320
Attleboro MA). The service has a new domain name; find it now at
www.warl.tv.

How much is Disney paying to upgrade Providence affilates? Buying
WICE (550 Pawtucket) from AAA cost the Mouse a reported $2.46 million,
while unloading WHRC (1450 West Warwick) to Hall recoups just
$410,000, we hear.

The TV scene in MASSACHUSETTS is all abuzz over the staff changes
at WHDH-TV (Channel 7), just as the May sweeps approach. Kim
Carrigan, who was as close to a veteran anchor as the NBC affiliate
can boast, found herself out of work last week just as she expected to
get a healthy contract renewal from the Sunbeam-owned station. (Did
we mention she's also seven months pregnant?)

It's an acid test for WHDH's philosophy that Boston viewers tune in
for the news, not for the anchors. Will channel 7's rotating cast of
fill-ins be enough to keep the station in its tight battle with WCVB
for the top spot, especially as NBC's prime time lineup loses some
luster? And where will Carrigan land? Stay tuned...

On the radio side, could WGBH be the new home base for Christopher
Lydon? Station VP Jeanne Hopkins told the Herald last week that 'GBH
is "interested" in the former "Connection" host for its news-talk
outlets on Cape Cod, WNAN (91.1 Nantucket) and WCAI (90.1 Woods Hole),
but we can't imagine such a deal not including a national distribution
platform as well. It would be an interesting homecoming for Lydon,
given the way in which he departed 'GBH a few years back when his "Ten
O'Clock News" was cancelled.

Up on the North Shore, WNSH (1570 Beverly) has been heard testing,
presumably from its new day site at Endicott College, though the
reception reports we've been hearing haven't been very good.

Speaking of new sites, what's to become of the tower of WILD (1090
Boston) if the area north of the Wellington MBTA station is
successfully redevloped as "TeleCom City"? A local newspaper article
last week identified "171 Rear Corporation Way" as one of several
properties acquired by the Mystic Valley Development Commission for
the huge project -- and that's also the street address of the WILD
tower! WILD could no doubt diplex with nearby WEZE (590) or even WXKS
(1430) if worse came to worse...

Moving vans on Soldiers Field Road? Sounds that way; with WSBK
(Channel 38) becoming an official duopoly with WBZ-TV (Channel 4), we
hear WSBK and UPN sister WLWC (Channel 28 New Bedford) are moving
their operations over to the WBZ facility from their longtime home
just down the street on Leo Birmingham Parkway. That, in turn, seems
likely to displace WODS (103.3), which would then move into a
renovated Birmingham Parkway facility. And we're told WBCN or WZLX
could eventually join WODS over there...just a stone's throw, in turn,
from the new Entercom digs across the Pike.

Living Proof has petitioned for reconsideration for its dismissed
application for a new 91.7 in Lunenburg. Meanwhile, Allston-Brighton
Free Radio is moving into its new home at 451 Cambridge Street, having
lost its original space at 107 Brighton Avenue.

Radio People on the Move: Michael Kellogg is coming back to Boston,
where he was in sales at WEEI for a decade, to be general manager of
Sporting News Radio's WWZN. Kellogg has spent the last few years in
Charlotte running WFNZ/WSOC. Alan Chartrand is the new station
manager at Greater Media's WTKK. And former WZLX and WBOS personality
George Taylor Morris is the latest convert to satellite radio; he's
heading down to XM to program one of that service's classic rock
channels.

In VERMONT, the FCC has allocated a new channel to Brighton, where
106.9 will be a class A facility. The Commission denied WCVT (101.7
Stowe)'s attempt to jump from class A to C1.

Over in the Middlebury market, WRRO (93.7 Addison) became "Alice" as
WXAL last week, with George Paul still doing mornings at the now-AAA
outlet. Meantime, WZXO is the new call on 96.7 Willsboro NY.

One bit of NEW HAMPSHIRE news: with Jack Heath off pursuing his
political career again, WNDS (Channel 50) in Derry has named Alicia
Preston news director. Preston has been with WNDS since 1998 as chief
political reporter; before that, she was news director at Concord's
WKXL. (WKXL, by the way, recently began operating 24 hours a day for
the first time in its long history.)

MAINE saw the launch of a new "W-Bach" outlet April 23, as WMDI
(107.7 Bar Harbor) became WBQI at 6 AM, bringing classical music to
the Mount Desert Island area. Just to the southwest, Gopher Hill
changed calls on its WAYD (105.5 Islesboro); the standards station is
now WBYA, the former identity of 101.7 Searsport, recently flipped by
Clear Channel to "Fox" WFZX.

The shutdown of Comedy World means Atlantic City's WFPG (1450) is
simulcasting AC sister WFPG-FM (96.9) for the moment; we believe the
local morning show on the AM has continued throughout.

Moving across the line to PENNSYLVANIA, Scranton's WARM (590) has
apparently exited the news-talk battle with the WILK (980) network.
We hear the station has changed to oldies, putting it in competition
instead with Shamrock's WQFM and locally-owned WICK. And to think
WARM once owned the market, hands-down...

Over in Williamsport, Salt and Light Media Ministries has been granted
a new signal on 90.7.

Pittsburgh's WWNL (1080) is getting a new owner, with Wilkins
Communications Network of South Carolina paying Mortenson $900,000 for
the strong daytime signal. Across town, Chuck Stevens arrives as the
new PD at Steel City's WLTJ (92.9), with former PD John Gallagher
staying around to do middays. Stevens came to WLTJ from the Cumulus
cluster in Youngstown, and replacing him as OM there is Tim Roberts,
who keeps his current duties as OM of Cumulus' Toledo cluster. That's
a lot of work!

Up in Erie, Nextmedia gets the new 93.9 construction permit in
Fairview, to join its existing cluster of WFNN, WLKK, WRGO, WRKT and
WRTS.

And that's it for this week! Join us again early next week to hear
all about the final moments at CHUM (audio and all), as well as a look
at our big trip west. See you then!